5:1 and 5:2 On the street: Dempsey and Makepeace
by haveunotthought
Summary: Does Dempsey still think women are not cut out to be police officers? Will independence make or break Harry? Are the pair destined to feud forever and can love overcome all?
1. Chapter 1

"What do you mean 'you know we're not married'?" Makepeace snapped "- we're not even living together"

"No but we are sleeping together" pointed out Dempsey unsure if the argument had gone off track

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Harry impatiently

"Well it obviously means nothing to you" Dempsey retorted

"As if that's got anything to do with it"

"I don't see your problem"

"My problem?!" Makepeace was incredulous

The SI10 duo were in the middle of the main corridor of the Metropolitan Police Department – Broadway. A few people had put their heads out into the corridor but none had braved walking down it.

"Well I don't have one - you're the one ranting and raving" Dempsey dared to suggest

"So you shouting across the room 'that she ain't doing it' constitutes what may I ask" Harry enquired sardonically

"Just that I ain't letting you do this job Sergeant" Dempsey raised his brow knowingly

"You can't stop me Lieutenant" Makepeace put a heavy emphasis on the 'you'

"Harry…" Dempsey dropped his voice but it didn't have the desired effect

"Don't you try that. You have no right to say what work I can or won't do - that's my decision Dempsey and mine alone. You cannot come barging in on a meeting that I'm having with vice squad, humiliating me and SI10."

"I think you'll find I just did"

"If you think being flippant is clever then you've a lot to discover - for god's sake grow up Dempsey"

"You ain't going on the street" he doggedly repeated

"The vice squad will be watching" she reiterated

"You have to take business to keep your cover"

"I'll take undercover business"

"What if other business comes?"

"I'll deal with it"

"I ain't happy; surveillance can't protect you from……"

"From what Dempsey? You're not waiting inside a wardrobe all night watching out for me, I'm a big girl now, I can do that myself!"

"Oh you think so?"

"I don't think Dempsey…" she saw him about to pounce back in and continued forcibly "I know so" and whilst Dempsey was stumped she continued "I don't need you mollycoddling me"

"I never said anything of the sort – you're jumping ahead of yourself"

"I mean I can work on my own"

"Fine" Dempsey threw down the pencil he'd been running through his fingers and slammed the entrance door behind him. Makepeace was furious and turning sharply marched back down the corridor. When she reached the door of the office she paused and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure; as she opened the door she put on a fake smile that fooled no one and apologised for the interruption.

"We were told SI10 were fully behind your deployment"

"They are sir"

"The display just now..."

"Won't happen again" Sergeant Makepeace could feel the blush rising across her neck and cheeks, she was livid with Dempsey.

Sgt Makepeace sat down and listened to the Inspector describe the plan of operation.

At the end most of the other team members slipped out and Harry knew it was because they didn't know what to say to her.

Kate approached her though and invited her for a drink. Harry accepted gratefully. She and Kate were to be the two hookers new to the ground. The aim was to try and make contact with other new girls looking for a pimp, hoping to meet up with a string of girls being brought over from Eastern Europe under false pretences.

Dempsey spun his wheels and drove off. He was mad – weren't they supposed to be partners? Harry had been busy the past two days; too busy to see him after work last night and now his mind was running overtime with suspicion. As it did so he felt a death needling its way into his mind injecting poison into any thoughts he harboured. Hurt and betrayal began to multiply like organisms breeding in his brain; he wasn't wanted or needed, he didn't know which felt worse. Sharp pains shooting from his chest started to escalate and as he drove past the Bramcote Arms he braked sharply.

Harry turned to Kate as they approached the bar in The Feathers "What's it to be?" she asked

"A G&T thanks"

"Gin and Tonic and a Vodka and Orange" Makepeace ordered then added "Oh and make them doubles"

"Gosh I'm not sure we should be drinking too much whilst we're working" Kate whispered with some concern

"Well for one we're not working yet" Harry pointed out "and secondly I'm afraid that earlier episode has left me in need of a stiff drink" then in an effort to lighten the situation slightly she added with a wink "and it's not good to drink alone"

Kate took her cue from her elder officer and raised her glass "To a successful night" she toasted. The glasses clinked.

Dempsey looked around the pub – usually there was someone from SI10 in there to drink with. He wondered where they all were and if this was a conspiracy to keep him out of everything. The barmaid asked if he wanted a pint or a double. "Both" Dempsey opted and put a tenner on the bar. "I'll need another one soon"

"What an arsehole" Kate said as her and Harry found some seats

"Who?" asked Harry confused

"Your SI10 guy who came barging in – who does he think he is and what bloody century does he live in?"

Makepeace coughed as if to convey her embarrassment with the topic of conversation but Kate was in full throttle and not about to stop soon.

"Women cops can do just a good a job as men; in fact I think we're better. I wouldn't put up with some prick telling me what work I should be doing….. I'm surprised you work with him at all or do you not get any say in the matter…"

Makepeace coughed again but as previously it went unheeded "…no wonder you wanted to work with vice for a while – bit of a breather hey? Guess you can get smothered by someone"

"Well I guess you can" Harry conceded and was just about to add 'but…' when Kate diverted the conversation quite randomly onto clothes and what she was going to wear for 'work'.

"You have got suitable clothes?" she suddenly asked Makepeace noting her ruffled collar that was high around her neck and the long sleeves of the said blouse.

"Oh yes" Harry reassured her picturing the yellow zipped top that clung to her body form and the short skirt that Dempsey had only made reference to the other week. She'd not had cause to wear it since that time she had visited him in deep cover when he was befriending Myra but to her surprise Dempsey had not forgotten the occasion.

Kate made arrangements to meet Makepeace later undercover and Harry ordered another vodka before she too made her way home to prepare. She couldn't be bothered to think about Dempsey and his irritating behaviour she focused on all she could recall from the briefing and tried to pre plan the route through various scenarios that she could imagine happening.

Dempsey pleaded with Rose the barmaid to serve him yet another drink swearing blindly that he hadn't had too much. He could still feel the pain so he needed more drink – his logic was really quite straight forward.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry actually felt quite nervous as she and Kate made their way to Soho . Standing to the side of a few regular workers they waited to be told to move on. The regulars watched Harry and Kate but said nothing, customers came to those they knew and still Harry and Kate waited. Almost an hour went by before an undercover officer invited Kate away and soon after another officer came for Harry.

On their return the girls chatted in French – drawing the attention of a couple of local hookers.

"This patch is booked" the first said but Harry and Kate looked blank.

"You kind of earn the right to work from here" the second tried to explain. Harry turned to Kate and spoke forth a stream of French and Kate said in her best French English accent that "they no speak the English"

The ensuing conversation between the two hookers about the number of foreign women coming and taking their men contained enough information to confirm that they were on the right track but no more.

An elderly gentleman approached Kate who launched into planned scenario of pretending not to understand but the gentleman kept repeating the same gesticulations indicating he wanted sex. An annoyed woman pulled the gentleman back "Geoffrey I'll do you a deal tonight"

The two constables watching from the wine bar opposite breathed a sigh of relief; they had been placing bets on whether anyone famous would pass through their observations and hadn't really anticipated problems arising. "Better get the girls out of there" they concurred.

As they radioed a request for further undercover guys to move in they noticed another gentleman make his way forward.

"Hey isn't that the drunk guy who was in the shop doorway?"

"You think he's going for one of our girls?"

They watched Makepeace back off but the guy kept moving forward. Kate stepped forward to try and intercept him. The aggressive movements concerned the watching PCs who asked urgently 'Romeo 3 and 4 where the hell are you'

Makepeace was backed into a wall, her hands raised in front of her holding her pursuer back.

"Well sweetheart I'm ready for some action" he growled.

"What the hell?" Makepeace remonstrated

"Français, français" Kate urged her reminding Harry of the undercover

Harry replied in French to Kate that she doubted Dempsey spoke any French.

"Well just use the language any male arsehole will understand" Kate replied

"No! Drunk!" Harry said in perfect broken English

"I was just passing by babe and I thought you and I might…"

"No I bloody well won't" Makepeace growled under her breath

Kate noticed the onlookers and spoke loudly in French to Harry telling her exactly what to do.

Harry replied to Kate in French as Dempsey grabbed her arm slurring something about 'women on the street'.

Harry twisted to escape his grip but Dempsey caught her other arm; she rotated within his grip, kneed him in the balls and as he released her she slapped his face.

Kate reeled out a stream of encouragement to Harry but although she was intensely angry Makepeace couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Vous êtes vraiment un arsehole Dempsey she said in French leaning back against the wall suddenly aware of the onlookers and wanting aliens to beam her up away from the nightmare she was in.

The two undercover cops Stevens and Hanley decide to wave their badges and arrest Dempsey on drunk and disorderly rather than attempt the role of client for the girls. Unaware of whom they were arresting they asked if she wanted to press charges. Harry looked at them, wrought with despair and in broken English reminded them that 'she no said good English'

Kate took her hand and led Makepeace away, informing the onlookers that 'we go'

The established prostitutes watched and one commented that 'the foreigners coming and taking their men got all they deserved'. The mother figure of the group affectionately known as Ma reminded them 'that the foreigners were just kids.'

"That's as maybe most times but these ain't that young"

"Well they're in a foreign country"

"Exactly they should go back to where they came from"

Despite her contemporises antagonism Ma followed the two women calling out after them to wait. Harry stopped and Kate turned back "I don't know if you can understand" Ma blurted out "but ring this number: Antony and Jocelyn – they look after foreign girls" she pushed a card into Kate's hand and decided to try explaining herself in simple English "You phone" she said as she pointed to the written number.

"Merci" Kate replied

"Now don't come back to Soho and expect to stay alive" Ma warned them

****

Back at the debrief Inspector Dawson took control "Seems SI10 almost fucked the operation" he sneered.

Makepeace stood her ground "As a result we gained the phone number and all our follow up work arises from that number" she postulated whilst privately agreeing with the accusation and cursing Dempsey – not for the first or even 13th time that day.

"You assured me that there would be no further interference"

"It was not of my institution" she defended, irritated that she was in such a position

"Well you blatantly cannot control situations or colleagues; our collaboration with SI10 is not looking good sergeant"

Makepeace swallowed as unobtrusively as she could and continued, ignoring the snide remarks "Kate and I will follow the lead and make our way to Southend tomorrow."

"Goodnight Sergeant" Inspector Dawson dismissed her and Harry took the hint and left. He held Kate back. "Kate is this a hindrance or a help?" he asked quite seriously "– you can call the shots"

"I find Sergeant Makepeace a help Sir" Kate replied after a moments thought, she didn't need to add that by implication she found the guy a hindrance.

"Well take care of yourself Kate; I don't want you hurt"

"Sir"

They both took their leave.

Outside Harry hailed a taxi. It was only the driver's comments about the address she gave that reminded her that she was still dressed as a prostitute. She said nothing, the whole night had been an unmitigated disaster it couldn't get any worse and she couldn't care what conclusions a random taxi driver could come to.

Dempsey was bundled away by two officers who had no idea who he was. Dempsey was too drunk to fight back but persisted in repeating that 'the street wasn't safe'

"Well certainly not with the likes of you upfront and aggressive to the ladies" Constable Stevens retorted.

"You don't understand! You're too…" before Dempsey could multiply the mess he was in Stevens had jumped back in "I don't care mate you're spending the night in the nick drying out and you can plead your case in the morning"

"You're not banging me up!" Dempsey yelled

The constables looked at each other – they couldn't care. Dempsey slumped back.

At West End Central they pushed Dempsey forward to the desk and asked the duty officer for a cell.

"Good grief! How much has he had to drink?" the officer smelt the booze.

The ride had done nothing to help Dempsey whose stomach and blood levels were seriously overloaded with alcohol. "Did you bring him in a patrol car?" Sergeant Turner asked the pair incredulous at their stupidity

"Why not?" asked PC Hanley

Dempsey wretched and the wise desk officer grabbed a nearby bin and threw it at Dempsey who buried his head in the bucket and emptied the contents of his stomach. PCs Stevens and Hanley were grateful that they didn't have to clean their patrol car.

"Cell 5" the duty officer said throwing the key to Hanley but keeping his eye on Dempsey. He shook his head, there was something familiar he thought but didn't know what.

"What's the name?" the duty sergeant called out after the constables started to escort their prisoner down, he held the chalk in his hand.

"Dempsey" Stevens called back and as he wrote Duty Sergeant Turner became more pensive. 'Dempsey' he ruminate and a nagging idea pushed its way forward. He called for someone to cover the desk and made his way down to cell 5.

"You checked his pockets yet?" he asked as he caught up with the party pushing Dempsey through the door.

"We're gonna do that once we get him down here" Hanley explained

"Well let's do it"

As commanded Dempsey emptied his trouser pockets but this threw up nothing other than car keys and coins. "And your jacket" Sergeant Turner demanded

Dempsey slipped his hands into his outside pockets and turned them inside out – nothing. The deliberate insolence annoyed Turner "The inside pockets please Sir" he smarmed as part of a deliberate response.

Dempsey scowled

"The inside Jacket pocket please sir" the measured tone very deliberate and infuriating to Dempsey who opened the jacket wide and exposed his holster with gun in place. The intake of breath was audible.

"Shit" said Stevens

"Did you search this gentleman down constable?" Sergeant Turner questioned with an air of disbelief.

"He never…" the stare from his senior officer told him to shut up "No Sir" PC Hanley stated instead.

Dempsey threw down his gun and warrant card "Lieutenant Dempsey SI10"

The duty sergeant called the other two outside "He never said?" Turner questioned with some disbelief – he was struggling to get a handle on the situation.

"He was well over the limit and acting very aggressively to the undercover prostitutes, it was the only way to get him away and let them get to safety."

Turner looked at Stevens then Hanley, he screwed his face up as he thought "bag that stuff up and leave him to sleep on it" he instructed "meantime you'd better fill me in on this undercover operation you were on. It's me who's going to have to clear up this shit in the morning"

Back in the cell Dempsey was lying down; he was feeling very rough, very downcast and totally sullen. He watched his gun and shield added to the bag and the bag sealed. When the cops closed the door behind them he got up and kicked the door hard enough to add another dent to the many already there. He kicked it six times more threatening to kill everyone if any harm came to Makepeace. Outside the guys passed ironic comment on Makepeace and the racket he was creating. Eventually Dempsey settled to sleep off some of the pain.

At Camberwell Grove Harry tried to go to bed but there was too much of Dempsey in the bedroom to allow her to settle; she returned downstairs dragging her quilt and sat on the sofa alternately cursing Dempsey and downing vodka shots. At some point she too fell asleep. It was not a happy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Dempsey woke, looked around and swore; he banged on the door and called out. No one came. He created another indent on the door frame with his foot and then punched the wall – the pain bringing a strange diversion from the anger he was feeling.

Upstairs the Duty Sergeant of the night was frustrated and annoyed; he was due off shift two hours ago but had been forced to wait around to allow the issues raised by the officer in cell 5 to be resolved.

On a personal level he was inclined to go along with the SI10 guy, the vice guys were always overloading his cells where as he and Dempsey (he had finally remembered) had had a conversation where Dempsey had spoken about shooting the criminals and how it saved the taxpayer a lot of money. He had laughed it off at the time but such thoughts inclined his favour towards Dempsey.

Chief Inspector Dawson from Vice and Chief Superintendant Spikings were still 'debating':

"I want him in custody" Dawson was still reeling from the discovery that once they knew who they had no one had filed any charges against Dempsey. "He nearly destroyed our whole operation"

"The fact remains that he didn't"

"You don't know that"

"My sergeant tells me that she and your girl are following new leads in Southend!" Getting that much information from Harry had been like getting blood from a stone.

"He could have" Dawson insisted

"Look he was drunk – that's all; he didn't hurt or threaten anyone…"

"…Except your girl"

"She's said nothing"

"He was armed"

"My officers frequently are"

"He should be suspended"

"He's mine to deal with"

"Can you control him?" Dawson asked with distain

Spikings paused, he knew he shouldn't promise more than he could deliver and controlling Dempsey was a tough one.

"You can't stop him" Dawson chided

"I can ensure he is working elsewhere"

"Look Spikings I was advised to work with the illustrious SI10 but so far I've seen nothing that makes me think you're the cracked up team others describe you as. In fact I go as far as to say that your staff are more along the lines of crackpot." He drew a breath and continued "However Kate tells me that she needs your Sgt Makepeace and so I'll keep the project open but; if your man appears on the scene again it will be over."

"Shall I bring him up?" asked the overtired duty sergeant

"That won't be necessary" Dawson said as he left, deliberately not shaking hands with anyone.

Spikings indicated that he would go down to the cells to pick up Dempsey. Sgt Turner handed him the sealed bag containing Dempsey's gun and ID.

Harry woke with a crick in her neck and a pain in her back. She blamed Dempsey for both and began her day by cursing him. She hadn't even had time to shower before Spikings had been on the phone; she hadn't been deliberately awkward but she didn't want to answer his questions right there and then - she hadn't had opportunity to consider her response.

As she drove to the vice squad her neck caused her more grief and that consequently did nothing to help a positive disposition towards Dempsey. She was beginning to regret the whole project and now just wanted it completed as soon as possible.

Spikings pushed open the cell door and Dempsey realised that he was both disappointed and relieved not to see Harry. He followed two paces behind Spikings whose silence spoke volumes. Once outside by the car Spikings held forth "You're a bloody cowboy Dempsey you know that? You always have been. You've made my life a pain ever since you appeared"

"I've got results" Dempsey justified. If Harry had been there she would have groaned at Dempsey's inability to read a situation and his consequent ability to inflame it.

Spikings had come to expect nothing less "Just shut up Dempsey else you might just find yourself on the next plane back to New York"

"Can I have my gun back?"

"Damn it Dempsey have you no idea of the mess you have created?"

"All I did was……"

"……. Compromise an undercover operation and put officers at risk – one of whom was Harry for whose safety I care about very much Dempsey – and I thought you might….

"You think I don't" accused Dempsey "You think I'm happy seeing her with some unknown officers in some place where she could be raped?" he agitated

"They're an experienced team – they know how to protect their officers" Spikings defended

"I know how to protect Harry! Me and Harry – we know each other's moves – we don't have to talk"

Spikings considered that that always was their problem – the lack of talking!

"Can I have my gun now?" Dempsey demanded

"Not yet"

"So am I suspended?" Dempsey enquired and continued to propose "Only if I am I can go watch out for Harry"

Spikings tossed him his gun "I want you and Chas on that warehouse job down the Old Kent Road, I've got Dave and Brian up at the docks…"

Dempsey slipped his gun into its holster and smiled.

Harry suffered constant questions about the previous night until she snapped. "It's not my bloody fault that Dempsey got himself arrested" she yelled as she stood, about walked out.

"It's ok" Kate soothed "we know that" and she gently but firmly nudged Harry back down into her seat. "Let's just work on what we've discovered about Antony and Jocelyn"

"Bloody men" Harry murmured

"Yeh" agreed Kate unsure which men Harry meant exactly but, she concluded, it didn't really matter 'bloody men' was always true.

Dempsey had gone home, showered, changed and then gone into the SI10. He sat and held a sheaf of papers he was required to read to bring him up to speed with the warehouse case. He stared through each sheet as he turned the pages. Spikings kept passing through the office until the combination of that and Harry's empty desk got to him.

"If we're working all night I'm taking a break now" he declared

Spikings loomed "Dempsey! That ship is due to dock at 4.00pm; I want you and Chas at that warehouse from then"

"Come on Boss it will take at least two hours for them to unload the boat"

"If you'd actually read those files Dempsey you would know that we do not understand the connection between the two." Spikings frustration with Dempsey was barely masked "You will be there from 4.00" he insisted "And stay there all night if necessary" he added with the hope that it would keep Dempsey occupied at least until the early hours.

"We'll be there" Chas confirmed.

Dempsey conceded nothing and merely announced to one and all 'that he was going to the Bramcote'

As the door shut behind him Spikings made his way over to Chas; he bent low and whispered knowingly 'that he didn't want Dempsey drinking alone'

"There's bound to be someone over there Boss" Chas replied

"No Chas you don't seem to get my meaning" Spikings hissed "Where Dempsey goes you go!"

"Is there something I should know?" Chas asked

"Just for today…. And tomorrow" Spikings sidestepped the question and Chas knew no further information would be forthcoming.

Harry took a copy of the file home to study whilst she used the afternoon to prepare and pack; they wanted to keep the trail hot and be on the street that evening in Southend. She stared at the phone every time she walked past it daring Dempsey to ring and apologise. It remained stubbornly silent.

Dempsey asked Chas what his take on the warehouse / boat thing was and as Chas unpacked the information that Dempsey had failed to read earlier Dempsey wondered why a good cop like Chas chose to be Spikings' lackey.

"Wouldn't you like to be out more? You know with live action?" Dempsey asked out of the blue

"Mary likes me in the office" Chas offered as an explanation

"Yeh, but what about you and what you want?"

"It's not just about me though is it?" Chas suggested

"But you have your say, your view" Dempsey challenged

"Yes and I try to get out where Mary won't worry"

"She calls the shots?" Dempsey couldn't imagine that

"No"

"Seems like it to me mate"

"No – I choose to consider her viewpoint" Chas tried to explain but Dempsey couldn't grasp the idea. Dempsey would never let anyone tell him what he could and couldn't go – he would work whereever he wanted – life is hard and then you die! He changed the subject to food with the suggestion that he was off to Jacks 'for one of those all day breakfasts'

At 3.20pm Harry rang the SI10 offices and left a message to inform Spikings that she was off to Southend. It was partly courtesy but mainly designed to try and catch news of Dempsey but she gleaned nothing in her brief conversation.

The doorbell rang and she answered it to Kate.

"Très bon, très bon" Kate observed taking in the classic hallway and pictures. She watched Harry pick up her coat and noted with interest an obviously male jacket and a pair of men's shoes. "So you don't live alone" she observed.

"What makes you say that?" Makepeace asked provocatively and as Kate realised it would be better to remain silent Harry added "actually I do"

If discretion was the better part of valour Kate decided to leave things at that and as they picked up the A127 she simply broached their plans for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Spikings had had an apoplectic fit! Dempsey was nowhere to be found; he had someone call at his Chelsea place and he himself had been over to Camberwell Grove, discretion being of paramount importance when it came to this hidden relationship.

Why he simply hadn't thought Dempsey would do anything other than turn up to the factory Spikings wondered with the full advantage of hindsight. Sure he had made plans for Dempsey to be working all night again and he was ashamed to realise that he should have known better. Now he had been forced to put out an APB on the grey Merc and fortunately it had been spotted on the A127 Southend Road near Basildon, unfortunately it was travelling in an easterly direction. Spikings rubbed his head until even he wondered it would make him bald and then demanded Chas come into his inner office and questioned him about Dempsey, their conversations and his attention to work. Chas directed Spikings to his typed up report on the desk in front but Spikings tossed it to one side asking in a slightly manic way about Dempsey's frame of mind and intentions.

"You know Dempsey Sir – he doesn't say that much, the usual sort of thing British beer, how chips are fries and 'life is hard then you die'"

"Dempsey says that?"

"All the time – that's his mantra – you must have heard him Sir?"

Spikings decided there was obviously nothing for it other than make his way to Southend and hope to intercept Dempsey before Chief Inspector Dawson spotted him and pulled the plug on SI10 forever.

He considered the multiplicity of roles he had been forced to take on since Dempsey had arrived: defender of the insane, protector of the crazy, life counsellor of the dumb and now wet nurse to a bloody yank!

***

Dempsey followed the woman as she walked along the seafront, he was sure she was the same woman as in Harry's case file. She paused to decide her route, and filed to her left, walking up the sloping path so as to reach the upper level of the pier entrance. Dempsey followed but ran up the steps to arrive ahead of her, he could see her face more fully, and yes he decided: this was the woman.

He watched her go to the pay desk; he took in the surroundings, the pier stretched out into the sea he idly wondered how long it was. He turned back to see her running down the stairs, he had expected to see her start walking. He was worried about her noticing his tale so keeping a check that she didn't come out of the lower floor to the left or right he paused a minute before he followed.

The atrium was empty and a small electric train was easing itself out. Dempsey recognised the blond hair, with roots showing on the tall woman sitting in the end carriage. His tail was on the train; at least he hadn't yet carelessly lost her.

"Where's the train go?" He asked a bemused receptionist

"To the end of the pier sir"

"When's the next one?"

"There is only one working sir, this time of year it's not so busy, it will be half an hour before it gets back here ready to leave." The receptionist thought him a tad rude, but smiled as she always did to everyone.

Dempsey remembered up stairs "But I can walk?"

"No problem sir"

He ran back up the stairs, flashed his ID to the ticket office as he ran past and started to walk quickly along the wooden planks.

The train travelled slowly, but faster than walking pace. Dempsey began to jog.

Makepeace had come away from the shops and stood at the top of the grass cliff looking across at the sea, and the coast road below. She thought for a moment she had seen Dempsey at the Pier entrance but she shook her head and looking back she confirmed she had imagined it.

She really wanted to see him and sort out this mess and assumed her wishes were being fulfilled by her brain spotting look a likes everywhere.

She had the afternoon to kill, she decided she may as well go back to the police station and write up her report from last night. The more paperwork that was done now the quicker she could get back to London and James, assuming he would talk to her.

The winter sunshine was warm when it beat directly down from a nearly cloudless sky; the off shore wind blew her hair and she looked back out to sea. The movement on the pier head attracted her attention; it was the speed of someone moving through and the sweep of their arm in the pattern of flashing an ID that caught Harry's eye. She peered again; it was Dempsey, she recognised the build and his style of movement as his speed approached a jog.

Moving as quickly as she could without attracting undue attention Harry made her way down the cliff steps and across the road and onto the pier forecourt. She tossed the entrance money to the cashier and took her ticket. She could no longer see Dempsey but started down the pier after him.

What was he doing here and what the hell was he doing?

Two threads of emotion rose from within her and intertwined themselves. There was the pleasure of seeing him vs. the trepidation of trying to resolve their argument and compounding that a sudden impulse fear that he had gotten involved in her case. Once beyond the wide atrium the pier narrowed to a footway some 4 meters wide, she started to run in an attempt to catch him.

There were a few people walking in each direction, Harry overtook a couple and a family with two children. An elderly couple walking back had stopped for a rest on a bench. "He's a bit ahead of you dear" the gentleman commented

"Is there one of those races today?" the old lady asked.

Harry slowed her pace a little, if Dempsey was running she wouldn't catch him with the head start he had, she walked for a while and let her head toss things around.

Why wouldn't he see that she was a detective in her own right, yes it was nice that someone cared for her safety but Spikings did that as well. He had asked her if she was happy to take on the role, offered her the chance to withdraw or any support she needed. Dempsey on the other hand had flown off the edge of reason, assumed she would be raped and told her, not in exact words but by implication, that she was not capable of watching her own back.

Ok, she conceded in her mind that James had a more personal involvement, but he knew she was a capable police officer; she had saved his skin enough times. So why did he let emotion cloud his judgement; he hated police officers who did that. 'Huh – emotion' she grunted and started to run again.

As her feet pounded the planks, all the anger that had been swirling around and clouding the issues seemed to be settling like the flakes in a snow dome, the picture was becoming clearer. Dempsey always cared passionately about things and she conceded that these days that included her. The thought brought a smile to her face.

'But' she reminded herself 'she did have the right to choose where she worked and what work she would do and she was not about to turn into a pathetic doormat.' She smiled again yes she would use her gun but she could use her knee to make her point very well; she wondered what Dempsey would have to say about that experience.

She was surprised how far she had run

Dempsey was surprised how far the pier kept on for and when he reached the end section where it widened out he stood and looked at the various buildings wondering where the woman may have chosen. There were small game arcades, novelty shops, café, lifeboat museum and a pub.

There were adverts for boat trips leaving from the pier head, but they seemed to be only in the main summer season. The train had not yet gone back down; there was no way off so he settled for the pub, buying a beer to quench the thirst he had gotten from his jog. He stood at the bar and observed the comings and goings back onto the walkway and into the train waiting area.

His mind wandered to the previous two days. Had he been so wrong? Surely it was good to worry about Harry's safety? Dempsey suddenly noticed another blond head he recognised; Harry had just gone past onto the pier head! Was she tailing the woman? O shit! What would she think to his presence here? The first made perfect sense- of course she would be, of the second he suddenly doubted himself. He failed to understand why she didn't want his help, why she couldn't accept his concerns either. Now he was more than convinced that she wouldn't be at all pleased to see him; so, he asked himself, why the hell had he come?

Before he had time to answer his own question, the woman he was looking for walked into the bar and stood next to him. He looked at her face more closely and pictured the photo in the file that he had had read in the early hours of the morning when he had gone back to Harry's place after the warehouse fiasco. She ordered two drinks in broken English with a French accent. So this was the woman now where was the pimp and what was she doing here?

The French bit bothered him, he couldn't understand a word of it and any conversation she was going to have was blatantly going to be in French. Unsure as what to do about his discovery or where Harry was he left his beer and wandered out, past the gift shops and found himself at the very end leaning over a rail looking out to sea and the ships passing up to the London Docks.

The sea was a grey green, not especially inviting but where the sun shone down the light still danced on the uneven surface caused by the small waves. It formed a neutral, blank canvas that seemed to mirror his empty mind; he didn't know what to think.

Harry walked through the small casino looking for Dempsey, glanced at the various other venues and opted for the pub. When she went in her heart leapt; there was the woman 'Jocelyn' the hair, the height, the build… she casually made her way to the bar and was about to order a drink when she remembered that she was going to try to meet this woman undercover that night; she didn't want to be recognised.

As she saw no sign of Dempsey she left instead. She walked passed the novelty shops and like him found herself at the end of the pier. She looked at the wavy brown hair, the jacket, jeans and distracted posture of her partner staring blankly out to sea.

She recalled her previous thoughts as she had pounded the planks and her anger dissolved. They cared so much about each other; they had both hidden it for so long that she really didn't want to waste more time arguing with him. 'Accept that his love comes out as concern' she told herself. She looked at him looking at the sea; it reminded her of his hopeless staring when she had gone over to New York. Then it had been the stars and the sky, he had sat for hours just gazing. She recalled those first words she had heard him say 'I don't know if I can keep bearing this pain' and then still feeling the thrill spreading down her spine, up to her neck and across her shoulders 'I love her so much.'

Her anger and frustration with him dissipated, she leaned on the rail next to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Dempsey was aware of her presence, but wasn't ready to speak, he continued to stare out to sea. Harry was slightly taken aback by his lack of response, she didn't know quite what to make of him or what to say. "I just saw the woman Jocelyn I want to locate" she tried.

"Yeh, in the pub, ordered drinks for two - French" Dempsey was monosyllabic

In the blink of an eye Harry was furious again. So he was here to muscle in on her case, after all she had said about not wanting him, about respecting her work, about her own capabilities and recognising them.

"You followed her down here?"

"Yeh"

"What is it with you yanks?"

"What is it with you Brits? No actually what is it with you Harry?"

"I don't need a bloody yank doing my work for me"

"Because I'm a man?" Dempsey clarified

"No, because you see me as a woman"

"Well you were last time I looked, or excuse me can't I do that anymore?"

"This isn't about us"

"Well it seems to be to me" Dempsey turned to look at her; their eyes fixed each on other - for once in his life Dempsey decided to go for gold "I don't want to see you hurt"

"Life is hard then you die" she stared at him "that is what you say isn't it Dempsey?" she challenged

"That's what I say about me"

"I'm no different Dempsey"

"You're a woman"

"I'm not a bloody meter maid" she brushed the hair whipping across her eyes off her face "I joined SI10 to do a job, the same one as you Dempsey"

"You don't say"

"So since when has being female made me incapable?"

"It doesn't"

"Thank you, so when I need you I'll ask for your help, do you understand me?"

"What's there to understand?" Dempsey turned round and walked off.

Harry followed him walking briskly by his side, she hadn't finished: "But you wouldn't mind if I was a guy"

"Exactly"

"You wouldn't be here if it was Chas"

"He wouldn't do the god damn job" Dempsey thought of his recent conversations with Chas.

"Not my point"

"Sergeant you're a woman"

"Always have been, even when I've saved your skin Dempsey, I was a woman then you know" Makepeace scorned and barely paused for breath "Bloody hell Dempsey – it's one rule for you and a different for me! You go off to do a case with Dave or Gary, you don't ask my permission, you don't want my opinion and then when the shoe's on the other foot and I do no different to what you have done all the years I've known you – you, Dempsey, take it personally. All I want is to be treated the same!"

"Like one of the boys?"

"Yes Dempsey like one of the boys"

"Except you're not"

Harry stopped abruptly and Dempsey turned back "You're not one of the boys – you're one of the girls" he pointed out.

"And you are a male chauvinistic pig" Harry marched off again

Dempsey heard her but ignored her. This was something he had always struggled with and ever since his arrival in the UK and being paired up with Harry he wrestled the tensions between believing women should be in the office and needing Harry as the most intuitive partner he had ever had, who unlike many men wasn't afraid to use her gun. His mind was about to start round three of the boxing match that seemed to be going on in his mind when he saw the pimp.

Harry noticed him too. Intuitively they both let him pass them then waiting just long enough, turned around and followed him back. They found themselves back in the pub. Dempsey ordered a beer and vodka, Harry quickly put the money down on the bar, here he was again taking the bloody lead.

Jocelyn and the pimp were talking in French which left Dempsey out in cold, arranging to be at the Rialto club at 10.00 pm. It was all the information Harry needed. Still aware of risking her undercover she drank her shot quickly and walked out. For the second time Dempsey left his beer barely touched on the bar and for a second time he followed a blonde, this time it was Harry.

They still didn't speak but marched in unison. Dempsey walked with his hands firmly in his pockets; a good yard to his right Harry held her handbag on her left shoulder, her elbow tucked in tight.

They passed the train terminus and entered the walkway.

"Why French?" asked Dempsey

"The girls come make their way from Eastern Europe on a promise of work and money, Jocelyn meets them in Paris and brings them across".

They returned to silence, their brisk pace and firm footsteps creating a rhythm that became a mantra that started to instil a peace as the turmoil finally began to settle.

Their walk continued but the chasm between them slowly reduced, the yard became a foot, the foot reduced to inches as the antagonism eased. Dempsey took his hands out of his pockets and Harry moved her handbag on her outside shoulder and let it support itself.

Inevitability, and as each had secretly designed, their fingers touched. A volt of electricity shot up each of their arms, but unlike a true electric shock their arms didn't recoil but hung there waiting for another accidental touch.

It happened three more times, Harry replayed all the thoughts she had had as she pounded the walkway in the opposite direction not that much earlier. It served the same effect, she was softening again.

James couldn't see how he could be different, he knew what Harry wanted but he couldn't do it, he couldn't live with himself if she was hurt when he could have, should have, protected her. Life is hard and then you die; but not Harry she was different. He felt her touch again but this time as she slipped her hand into his he held on to it for dear life.

Their pace slowed a little and they began to relax. The sun shone, and everyone they passed seemed happy. The warmth of the sun and the gentleness of their pace began to infect their moods. After a while James spoke "When I think of you as my partner that's fine, but there are times when I see you as a woman, what's more as the woman I love… and I care so much about you and your safety Harry ~ is that so wrong?"

She squeezed his hand. "No, not when you put it like that …" she paused and stopped walking as well so she could turn and face him, "we're partners…" she started to say but as she was talking James pulled her into him he cupped her face in his hands and stopped her speech with his kiss. Her arms flew around his neck, she responded with such relief; it was all she really wanted.

Dempsey broke away "Well tell me sergeant, how long is this pier? We seemed to have walked an awful long way and not got much nearer the shore." With his arm around her neck he was guiding their path along the walkway.

"A bit over a mile and a quarter"

"That's longer than most isn't it?"

"By some distance I think. It's the longest pier in Britain"

"Good job" he touched his finger on her nose in a playful way, the sun still warmed them and the shore breeze kept Harry's hair off her face, their fingers intertwined and they meandered slowly along, their silence was so totally different now. The shore line was a lot closer; they came to where the elderly couple were just leaving the bench they had been sitting on for the past hour, for a moment Harry tried to imagine her and James still being together when they were that age but she soon realised she couldn't even imagine being that age. Just because she couldn't imagine it, she decided, didn't stop her hoping.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry stood at the edge of the beach and looked out, the sun was lower now and it would soon move into that period when the sky would turn pink as it set. Its warmth had gone and the winter chill that had been held off was creeping in.

James hadn't eaten for ages; he had been so intent on finding Harry he had not bothered about food. He spotted somewhere selling fish and chips, "Classic British seaside food" he had quoted to Harry as he wandered off to buy some. Harry had turned her nose up but Dempsey asked for an extra large portion, he knew her well enough to know she would end up eating half of his. He crossed the road back to where Harry stood and picked up her hand; he followed her eyes out to sea where the sky, scattered with a few clouds was beginning to take on a tinge of colour other than blue.

Spikings was driving down the road when he braked hard; Dempsey was crossing in front of him. As he continued down the road his attention was fixed in his rear view mirror and saw Dempsey walk up to Makepeace. Spikings' relief was palpable, he had been dreading trying to restrain an angry Dempsey, at least they seemed to be talking. He hoped they would talk this problem through properly but they had a poor history on the communication front. – these were his two best cops who could solve the most complicated of crimes but couldn't seem to figure out the complexities of each other's minds. His biggest dread had been what would happen when they argued now they were a couple. They had often got annoyed with each other, argued, shouted, gone off in a huff, he had been on the end of some of their sparing but it had always sounded worse than it turned out to be. What would they be like now?

He returned his attention to the road and continued his drive up the street until he came to a gap in the carriage way where he could turn around. He drove back to the point near where he had seen them and pulled into a central reservation parking place. From where he was parked Spikings could observe.  
Dempsey led Harry down onto the beach, it was a gravel and sand mixture, the tide was in so they sat quite high on the beach. It meant Spikings had a view of them.  
Dempsey sat himself on the beach and opened his legs. He pulled Harry to sit in between them and wrapped his arms around her both to pull her back into his body and to keep her warm. He placed the chips on her lap and massaged both her shoulders then upper arms and nestled his face into her neck. Like a clam he tried to enclose and shelter her with his body. He enveloped his arms tight around her.

Harry lifted her hand up to cover his and rubbed it gently.

"Sunset, English chips and a beautiful woman" he whispered in her ear.

"Dempsey… I…"

"Ssh sergeant, and pass me a chip, I'm starving"

"So I compete with your stomach?"

"And you won"

Harry turned to try and catch his eye "I won?" she thought she had misunderstood

"I wanted to find you more than finding food"

"You mean your fridge was empty as usual"

He ran his fingers through her hair as he spoke, "No your fridge was empty, I slept in your bed, mine doesn't have your perfume on the pillows." He could smell her now, to him it was heaven.  
Harry was touched; he had gone to her flat despite her leaving for this undercover work without trying to make up. She opened the fish and chips and half turned within the clasp of his legs so she could feed him. She placed one chip in his mouth and another in hers. The warmth of the hot food radiated through the inside of her chilling body.

"Hey, you said you didn't need any food."

No, but I've no doubt you bought enough for me, she grinned wickedly and kissed his nose before she took another and let him help himself as well.

"English chips or American fries?" Harry asked

"That's like asking me to choose between heaven and earth" Dempsey complained, "but right now" he kissed her cheek "it feels more like heaven on earth"

His out of character poetic reply made her smile; she turned back to look at the sunset, letting her body fall back into his to gain maximum touch and warmth.  
He tried to place a chip in her mouth but kept missing as he couldn't see but was working from behind. They laughed comfortably with each other, watched the sky redden and the orange hues spread under the scattered clouds.

Spikings watched the scene and smiled, he felt a fuzzy warmth that reminded him of when he was courting Mrs Spikings. This was a scene he'd never been privileged to observe before. When Harry and Dempsey got together he told them that he never wanted to see or even know of any evidence of their relationship at work or at anything to do with work. Thus far they had, on the whole, managed it. So to see them together as a couple, happy in each other's company, enjoying each other's touches and caresses was really rather sweet.

Dempsey screwed up the empty paper and tossed it towards a bin, it missed but he would pick it up later. He hugged Harry and they held both hands together in a four way clasp as the sun turned a vivid red/orange that in 3 minutes flat sunk below the horizon.  
"It's a very beautiful sky but it has nothing to compare with you" as James spoke he pulled Harry to standing and cupping her face in his hands kissed her. Now before you have to get back to your office let's wander along and find somewhere to warm up. She wrapped her arm around his waist and he his around her shoulder and they made their way along the road.  
Harry turned to James who felt her look at him; he looked down into her eyes and kissed her lips briefly as they walked. Harry grinned and let her arm slide down from his waist, over his jeans back pocket and put on a low sultry voice "My hotel is just along this road" her statement was an invitation that James couldn't refuse.

"Although you do realise that I am meant to remain undercover at all times" she added dropping the accent.

"Well makes it kinda fun" Dempsey winked "how much do you charge Sergeant?"

"£300" she suggested randomly with a brightness in her voice

"You what? That's daylight robbery!"

"Oh so you know do you Dempsey – be careful how you answer" she warned

"I know enough – £300 quid" he questioned again

"The price of a really nice dress I saw this afternoon…" Harry explained

Dempsey guessed it was the price of an apology

"How many hooker outfits have you got Harry?" Dempsey asked with a wicked smile lighting his face

Spikings saw them turn into the hotel lobby and drove past. He would catch Dempsey later – now he had time for a pint and pub meal.

"I need to get ready" Makepeace said as Dempsey shut the hotel room door.  
Dempsey felt confused, that wasn't the signal he had read just a few minutes ago. He slouched across the bed and watched her; his trepidation grew as she slipped on a short skirt and removed her bra before donning the yellow zipped top. As she pulled the zipper ¾ of the way up he checked "You're taking some protection?"

Harry pulled open the draw of the bedside table and pulled out half a dozen condoms.

"You won't be needing those!" Dempsey panicked

"I need to be seen to have them – it's part of my undercover"

Dempsey swallowed hard "I meant other protection"

Harry bent her knee and it actually made Dempsey smile "Ok" he conceded "that one hurt"

"Ah does it need rubbing better?" she asked as her hand ran down from his waist, between his legs.

"It may help" Dempsey leant into her suddenly hopeful again

Harry moved back from him and reaching into the draw again withdrew her gold mini gun along with a garter to hold it. She placed one leg up on the bed and handed him the garter "Perhaps you could help" she suggested as she leant forward.  
Dempsey's hands were exploring her thigh, his attempts to put the garter on her barely started before he was totally tempted to start to try removing things instead. Harry giggled and Dempsey pulled her onto the bed with him "and I always thought you were a lady" he teased as his lips brushed hers and the love making started.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry rolled over onto her stomach and looked at Dempsey "I can do this you know"

"You sure can" he grinned "It was worth every one of those 300 British pounds"

"I meant the undercover"

He raised himself and sat up, adjusting the pillows to suit "I know" he said beckoning her to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him, her arm across his chest "I'm sorry" he offered "I guess I made a fool of myself"

"And me and Spikings and SI10" Harry added but kissed his chest as she spoke

"You should have told me"

"I knew you wouldn't like it"

"Is that why you were busy the other night?"

Harry was silent, in essence that was true but there was more and she didn't know what to say or how it would sound. The silence worried Dempsey "Princess?" he prompted

"When this is over can we go away together?" she suggested

"Sure – anywhere special?"

"No anywhere will be fine – just you and me together"

"Harry?" he asked

She considered her words "It's just that we spend so long pretending that there's nothing between us that I'm frightened that's what will happen – that we'll lose what we have"

Dempsey was shocked "It took damn long enough to find it Harry I'm not after losing it just yet" he held her tightly and they sat together wondering what the other was thinking until Harry spoke.

"I need to shower and dress" she declared "and you need to go back to London" she ventured nervously.

*****

As Dempsey left the hotel he took long deep breaths in an attempt to manage his anxiety, he even prayed (to whom he didn't know) 'please let her be safe'. He returned quickly to his car and drove off with determination. If he didn't get away immediately he f eared he would be tempted to stay and that would be disastrous.

Kate knocked on Harry's door – she spoke in French asking if she was ok. "Did you go to the station?" Kate asked "you said you were going to write up the report from last night" She continued to speak in French even though they were both now inside Harry's room; Harry appreciated that it helped them keep in role.

Harry explained that she had spotted Jocelyn and followed her to the pier end where Antony had also shown up and that she had overheard them talking about The Rialto at 10.00 that evening.

"That was lucky"

"To be honest" Harry admitted "it was a pure fluke but we take every break we can get eh?"

"Yeh" Kate confirmed but she felt slightly ruffled that no lucky break had come her way. It was the embryonic shoot of jealousy that prompted her next observation. "I called by a bit back" she said "but I heard sounds so I didn't knock"

"Oh" Makepeace faked "probably just the radio" she suggested desperately scanning the room for one.

Kate didn't like the lie, now she was angry that her partner didn't trust her and neither could she trust Makepeace. "So the bloke leaving your room had nothing to do with it?" she snarled

"With what?" Harry asked as she realised that she'd just given everything away in two words. The dawning showed across Harry's face and Kate sat on the bed as Harry mentally kicked herself black and blue.

"I thought it was our case" Kate said somewhat pointedly

"It is" Makepeace reiterated "Dempsey is on route back to London, he has a case on"

"Why was he here? Did he find Jocelyn?" The questions were barely masked accusations.

"It was a fluke and he was only here to apologise for the other night" Makepeace tried to sound more confident than she felt

Kate looked at Makepeace and carrying an air of superiority she began "If you get drugged or raped…"

"I have no intention of either happening to me" Makepeace forcefully interjected

"No neither do I" Kate said stepping back slightly from the antagonistic approach she had started with as she realised the awkwardness an argument would place themselves in. "If you get drugged or raped…" she started again "forensics will be compromised. If you work in vice it's no sex for three days prior to any undercover else it all falls over in court."

Makepeace blushed

'Oh shit!' Kate thought - she wasn't usually a bitch "Harry you've been a good partner" she conceded "let's just make sure nothing happens" noting the pennies dropping in Harry's mind and the embarrassment of contrition.

"It really was a fluke that we saw Jocelyn" Harry repeated

"Well let's make use of the info and get ourselves out there" Kate said standing up and now smiling.

*****

Spikings tailed Dempsey's car praying also 'please god let him go back to London' At first Dempsey was too focused on his decision to leave Harry there and get back to London but the dual carriageway of the A127 was not that busy and needed little attention. He noticed the tail and smiled. The next five miles Dempsey entertained himself by speeding up and slowing down and in the end Spikings was forced to overtake him. At the next lay-by Dempsey spied the car parked up, he pulled in behind it and made his way forward.

"You need practice Boss" Dempsey said as Spikings wound down his window.

"You need to be in the White Bear in an hour and a half!"

"I'll be there Boss"

"Dempsey I need no repetition of the other night and neither does Harry!

"I know boss but…" Dempsey paused as he thought "could you watch out for Harry for me Boss?" he asked "only we heard the Frenchies talking about the Rialto club at 10.00"

"The Frenchies?" Spikings buried his smile successfully

"Yeh the woman and the pimp"

Spikings conceded nothing "Harry said she was fine to work it – now do you think we could please get back to London to do our job?"

"I hate leaving her Boss"

"I believe the term is 'life is hard'" Spikings said raising an eyebrow and tilting his head with the question and then drove off praying for the second time that day that Dempsey would make it back to London.

"And then you die!" Dempsey called after Spikings. He felt all too inclined to hit Spikings but with the opportunity denied he went though the process of steeling himself again to drive towards the city. This time as he drove he began to wonder what Spikings had been doing there and how long he had been tailing him. The latter he decided was not long – Spikings was a lousy tail.


	8. Chapter 8

Dempsey drove straight to the Kennington Road pub. This was better than the previous night he decided as he settled to watch Travis spend another night wheeling and dealing in the smoke room.

Dempsey brought himself a beer, gave Tony a discreet thumbs up to let him know he was there and splayed his hand out to indicate a meet and handover in the gents in five minutes. Tony and Dave were working together but Dempsey preferred to do this type of observation on his own – he would simply strike up a conversation with anyone nearby and keep an eye on his target.

*******

Harry and Kate stood 50 yards to the left of the entrance to the Rialto Club; the doorman had made them move away from the immediate entrance. Kate took the first undercover business and 20 minutes after she returned they both took more undercover work. It was 9.50 when they returned and the two girls stood chatting in French about their hotel and where to stay next. A white Rolls arrived and three girls barely in their late teens tripped out adjusting their skirts and tops and speaking nervously in a language neither Harry nor Kate were certain about. After the three girls Jocelyn and Antony climbed out of the car. Kate nudged Harry who confirmed the IDs.  
It was the doorman that unwittingly contributed to the success of the night: as he watched and listened to the three foreign girls enter he stopped Jocelyn on the top step and directed her attention to Harry and Kate. His motivation had been merely to keep the outside of his club looking clean but the net result was an invitation to the two undercover cops to join their targets inside.

Dawson already had three men in there, but he detailed another two to follow.

***

It was one of those random conversations that Dempsey was involved when the old juke box was roused into action by someone; its stock had not been updated for some time and 'Chanson d'amour' played out.

"Bloody foreign songs" his drinking partner announced

"What language is that?" Dempsey asked

"French – one of those love songs" Mick stated

"The French are famous for love" Larry mimicked

"Why?" asked Dempsey

"Well they say Paris is the city of romance"

"You been there?" asked Mick suddenly

"No but the girlfriend is always on about it" Larry answered

"So the Frenchies are supposed…." Dempsey was cut off

"The Frenchies?" queried Larry

"Help me out here" Dempsey asked "what do you call them?"

"Frogs"

"Frogs?"

"French Frogs" Mick added

Dempsey shrugged his shoulders "So the Frogs are supposed to be romantic "

"That song's nearly all English" someone else pointed out

"Not all of it"

"Well most of it"

"So what does the French bit mean?" asked Dempsey

"No idea" by now the whole surrounding table were joining in

"Something to do with love"

"Ooooooooooooh Je t'aime" Mick contributed

"What?" asked Dempsey

"Je t'aime"

"What?" repeated Dempsey

"'j' 't' like a kid the 'M' like an adult says" was Pat attempt at an helpful explanation.

"And what does that mean?" asked Dempsey

"I love you" Pat said leaning into him

Dempsey pulled back "Well I've got someone else in mind mate" he laughed at the same time catching sight of one of the warehouse gang from last night in deep conversation with Travis.

Dempsey excused himself and got himself better positioned to overhear the conversation. He grinned these guys were quite amateurish; the idea of goods making false journeys was sound but the execution of it full of holes.

***

Jocelyn played the kind and concerned carer to the tee; she brought the two girls champagne and smiled as she asked them if they had been long in England.

"We come three days" Harry said in English whilst Kate let forth a stream of information all in French. Jocelyn put her hand up to stop the pair of them and spoke in French herself and the girls faked their delight in finding someone who spoke their native tongue.  
Between them Harry and Kate explained how they had hoped to earn a lot of money to make them rich – that they had heard that English men liked French women. But they added that they had not had many customers, that they were always being told to move on and that they had only enough money to stay in their hotel for two nights and this was the last night – if they didn't earn enough they would have to vacate their rooms in the morning.

At the same time Harry watched how Antony was working the three girls they had brought with them. In the time of their conversation each girl had been sent away at least once; the turn around time both frightened and annoyed her.

***

"So why do you call them frogs?"

"They eat them don't they" was the reply. Dempsey looked blank

"Berets, striped T shirts, garlic, frogs legs" Mick listed

"Yeh those long sticks of bread and don't forget the snails" added Pat

"L'escargot" Larry said proudly pronouncing his French

"That's a restaurant uptown" Dempsey contributed

"Posh French food"

"Gordon blue" Joe piped up

"Cordon bleu" Mick corrected then turning to Dempsey asked "don't they teach you French in America?"

"Nah, Spanish but I never went to school enough" Dempsey said

"Je m'appelle Joe" announced Joe proudly then laughed "that's all I learnt"

"So what was that again?" Dempsey asked Pat

"'j' 't' 'M'"

"'j' 't' 'M'" Dempsey echoed back and smiled "Thanks guys" he said as he noticed Travis was now packing up shop.


	9. Chapter 9

Kate and Harry arranged to be picked up from their hotel by Jocelyn the next morning at 10.00am. They had been promised accommodation and work; Jocelyn had made it seem enticing, the cost of housing and living would be deducted from their earnings but they would receive the remainder at the end of the month in cash.  
When Kate had asked what sort of work they would be expected to do Jocelyn had glossed over any details, reassuring them that it was just the usual kind, nothing to worry about. With that settled the girls expressed copious thanks and explained that they would now go back to their hotel and wait until 10am the next day.

Dempsey stood outside the White Bear looking up and down the Kennington Road but his warehouse guy had gone. He shrugged and radioed in that Travis had packed up shop and that he was now on his way home. Dempsey was just about to sign out when he asked the question that had been nagging at the back of his mind all night "You heard from Harry at all?"  
No one had until like a minor miracle a message scribbled on a piece of paper was passed to Chas; he read it "Just got a note mate" Chas said to Dempsey "says 'made contact, have meet set up for tomorrow, going back to hotel"

Dempsey grinned "Thanks Chas, over and out"

Dempsey threw his gun onto his bedside cabinet. He looked at the draw, pulled it open and took out a small box which he opened and studied with satisfaction before replacing it at the very back of the draw, putting his gun away at the same time. He smiled and hummed as he made his way to the bathroom to prepare for bed. He slept well.

Harry sighed as she returned to her room; she felt lonely and alone despite the numerous officers from Vice. She did sleep but not what could be described as well.

****

Makepeace was appalled. The girls were living 4 to a bedroom and the bathroom facilities were diabolical. She and Kate now had just the afternoon inside the house to gain as much information from the other girls as possible. It was not hard to build up a picture of horror; the girls were subject to scenes she had only ever heard rumours of; the men encouraged to fulfil every desire their minds had ever imagined and at times the girls were convinced they were given drugs despite the care they took in watching their drinks.

Harry was shocked that so many of the girls wouldn't testify. They knew Jocelyn and Antony were wrong but because they also understood that they were doing wrong they feared the law. Kate knew much more about the process and was brutally honest in her description of the questions the girls would go through; she explained to Harry that to pretend that it would be painless would mean that the girls would freeze in court and the whole case crumble.  
Eventually they had three girls who agreed; Harry was detailed to get them to a safe house whilst the rest would be sent to immigration to await repatriation.

Nothing could be done until Vice Squad began the raid; Harry prepared by surveying the old nursing home and its grounds from every room working out the best route for her and her charges to escape by.

She spoke to the girls and as soon as the front door was forced down the four of them were making their way via some garages used as store rooms towards the cul-d-sac and the small but thick copse that lay at the end.

*****

Dempsey passed through the SI10 offices to check on his notes from the earlier night and the warehouse raid. The photos had come back confirming his identification of the guy in the pub negotiating with Travis

"Have you caught me a criminal yet Dempsey?" asked Spikings sarcastically as he passed Dempsey who was sitting with his feet up browsing through the photos, coffee by his side. As his hand touched the door handle to his office Spikings turned back and wagged his finger as if it would make a difference "And remember I need him alive – do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Boss" Dempsey replied without looking up. Spikings walked back and stood by Dempsey; although he spoke quietly his words were laced with menace "Remember you're still here as a guest of her majesty"

"And I still ain't met her" Dempsey feigned disappointment then perked his voice up "But not for long eh Boss?" as he eyeballed Spikings who growled with frustration and then slammed the door to his own office behind him.

"Hey Dempsey you're not leaving us are you?" asked Watson who had walked in at an opportune time

"Seems O'Grady and Spikings are fighting over me" Dempsey grinned "and one of them's gonna lose and then they'll be stuck with me" Any further probing was automatically broken by an announcement that the gear from the warehouse was on the move again.

***

As Harry saw Antony and Jocelyn leave via a back window and run towards a low fence with a mini parked on the road her incredulity was sky high. She told her three charges to remain exactly where they were and moved forward retrieving her gun from her thigh. The girls looked horrified and she decided that that may at least ensure their co-operation "Stay, don't move; RESTEZ ICI, NE BOUGEZ PAS" she reiterated unsure which of the two languages they would understand the better before deciding a quick wave of her gun would say more than any words.  
Harry scanned the area for Kate or any other vice squad officer but all she saw was the two suspects about to make a clean get away. She moved forward and as Jocelyn was opening the passenger door she yelled "Police, restez où vous êtes".

Both stood and stared at Harry committing her face to memory, they were unarmed and their stance dared her to shoot. In the blink of an eye everything changed and the two dived into the car and started the engine. Harry took aim at the tyres but the gun was small and the range limited, her first shoots hit the body work but as the car pulled away the outside rear tyre was hit.  
At the sound of the gunshot Dawson and his men came running but they just watched the mini drive off, veering to one side but its occupants more interested in getting away than the long time life of the car.

"Aren't you going to bloody chase them?" demanded Harry

*

The row was spectacular:

"Gun ho", "cowboy", "irresponsible", "reckless" flowed from Dawson

"Amateur", "incompetent", "inept", "unprepared", "unplanned", "pathetic execution" flowed from Harry.

Kate was dragged into the argument; she confirmed that she had no idea that Sgt Makepeace was armed and when pressed on giving a statement about the Sergeant's behaviour during the assignment winced as she explained her partner's 'lack of experience could have compromised their case'. Although she gave no details there and then Harry knew just what would be revealed to Dawson before the day was out.

Harry stood "I'm obviously not wanted or needed on this operation" she declared "I'll send you my written report tomorrow"

"Today" corrected Dawson promptly

"Today" Harry confirmed with contempt, tossing her head to one side just ever so slightly "I'll make my own way back to London" she walked out.  
As she passed her Kate called softly "Harry" – she wanted to say sorry but she knew it was pointless.

"It's been an experience" Harry said truthfully "one I won't be repeating"

*

Harry's intentions had been to place a copy of her report on Spikings' desk and to make a quick getaway but it seemed she had chosen the wrong moment.

Spikings came out of his office swearing that he would hoist the bloody cowboy by his own petard. He scanned the office Watson, Johns – you two – I want you down Peckham High Street, seems it's High Noon down there with John Wayne centre stage.

"Chas can you raise Dempsey on the RT" Spikings barked then, as he thought the request through, he jumped in on Chas' response "Don't bother he won't have it with him"

Makepeace had attempted to hide by walking backwards towards the side exit but now Spikings had spotted her "The Sundance kid" he growled "Well let's go and find Butch" he smiled with sarcasm "together"

"You learned this off of our American friend?" Spikings asked when he finally managed to draw breath

"Sir?" Makepeace clarified

"How not to drive" Spikings gasped

"Oh no sir, I went on a high speed driving course run by the MET" Harry replied as she swung the car right then left to avoid a lorry lumbering along.

Spikings picked up the RT "Charlie 5 to Charlie 3 are you there yet Watson?"

"Charlie 3 to Charlie 5 eta 5 minutes"

"What's ours?" Spikings asked Makepeace

"We're here" she said as she braked and parked next to two panda cars and a gaggle of officers.


	10. Chapter 10

"So where's my man?" Demanded Spikings even before introducing himself

"SI10" Makepeace flashed her ID

"Sorry it's been like a spaghetti western down here! Who's your man?"

"American, working on a false trading case, our long term friend Travis dealing with goods coming in through the docks"

The inspector turned to the PCs who had been first on scene but they shrugged "what does he look like?" one asked

"White; 5'11"; 150lb; brown hair…" Harry started

"Sounds like one we just sent off to the morgue" the PC commented without thinking

"Shit" Spikings went white; he heard tyres squealing and turned to see Makepeace drive off

"Get me the Hammersmith on the phone and hold it to RT I want to speak to them myself"

Tony didn't really understand Spikings' distress "the hospital or the police station?"

"The bloody morgue at the god damn hospital"

As Tony dialled and then got put from one extension to another Spikings sunk back in the passenger seat of the patrol car.

"Sir" Tony called "I'm holding the phone to the RT now"

"This is Superintendant Spikings SI10 I have an officer on her way over - if she gives you an ID on the white male I want you to hold her there and tell me immediately and I mean immediately" Spikings growled then as he rubbed his head "Forget it – don't under any circumstances let her near any body – any body do you hear me" He didn't wait for an answer but hung up and turned to the PC driving "For Christ sake hasn't this car got an engine – put your siren on and your foot down"

Makepeace arrived and showed her ID "White Male just arrived from the Peckham shooting" she said and was taken straight through by the attendant who left the phone ringing persistently. The attendant stopped outside the door and took in the sweat beads across her forehead and the tremor of her hands. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked

"I've done this many times before" she defended

"Well you look…"

"It surely doesn't matter what I look like; you're not about to say I'm a woman are you?" she accused

"Err no" 'but' thought the guy 'I have seen such signs before and I've had enough experience to know who's going to faint on me'. What he hated the most wasn't that women collapsed – so did plenty of men; no what frustrated him were women trying to be stronger than they were.

Harry could feel the sweating and knew her hands were trembling, so were her knees – they were literally knocking and her stomach was tied in knots. Whilst she had driven she had kept her mind empty but the moment she had parked the reality of why she was there hit and the shakes and shivers had started.

So much for being there to protect each other… she walked into the department with a steely eyed determination but the sight of steel caged doors each with a body behind it was more than she could cope with – if it was Dempsey...

She felt him hold her, brush her cheek, kiss her forehead, she could feel his warm breath over her neck, his whisper in her ear, the tease in his voice, she could smell his after shave as he buried his face into her neck. She looked at the attendant "can we get on with this?"

"You want the white male shooting"

"Brown hair and eyes, 150 lb, 5'11" brought in just now - gun shot" as Harry spoke the words she felt the lurch in her stomach and the weakness of her knees barely supporting her. The door started to slide open and the body covered by a green sheet slide out on the trolley and Harry retched. She bent in half and was sick across the floor.

"I asked you"

"I'm sorry" she said but was sick again, she looked at the attendant – he carried a mock smile "I'm used to it."

"Please I need to get this over" she whispered

He went to pull the sheet back but Harry was retching again, bent in half looking at the floor.

Spikings pushed through the doors – "I said…" he saw Harry and the mess on the floor "God – did she say" he assumed the positive ID Harry opened her eyes "Sir?" she whispered

"You shouldn't have done this alone. I told them – I bloody told them…"

"You know the guy gov?" the attendant asked recognising Spikings from his years of work in the force "only she's not done the ID"

Spikings looked as the sheet was lifted. "It's not him, Harry - it's not Dempsey" Spikings turned to see Makepeace standing staring at the body.

"It's not ours" Spikings addressed the attendant, he glanced at the floor – "If you'd followed my orders this" his hand swept across "wouldn't have happened"

Harry simply said "sorry" and walked out and straight into the ladies

Spikings marched up to the reception desk and demanded the use of their phone. "Where the blood hell is Dempsey" he demanded

"No idea Sir" Chas said "Him and Dave took Travis and Jameson in to Kennington nick and charged them but that was hours ago – I guess they must be finished by now"

"Chas is there something you neglected to tell me?" Spikings growled "Are you telling me this whole thing has been a wild goose chase?"

"The Peckham shooting was nothing to do with Dempsey Sir" was all Chas said, choosing not to defend himself.

Spikings grunted "Bloody cowboy"

In fact Dempsey had had a profitable afternoon and evening. The warehouse case had been a synch: Dave and himself had followed Jameson to several locations and then onto the White Bear. Inside the money exchange between Travis and Jameson was witnessed by Tony and Dave who had then made the arrests. Dempsey had remained outside to catch either if they had tried to escape.

At the police station neither men had been forthcoming until Dempsey had entered the interview room. His reputation had preceded him and as soon as he'd opened his mouth both men had turned to one another and mouthed 'Yank'

"That's me" Dempsey had said drawing his gun against Travis' cheek.

They both started to talk like there was no tomorrow and both Dave and Tony felt slightly peeved but grateful for a good arrest and a relatively short interview process.

Dempsey had returned to the White Bear looking out for his drinking partners of the previous night. Everyone was full of the two cops arresting Travis and Dempsey listened impatiently.

"I dropped by for the French lesson" he announced when he saw a chance.

"Do you watch 'Allo Allo?" asked Mick

"I don't think so" Dempsey knew he didn't "Should I?" he asked

"Well that Yvette and René have done that Je t'aime song"

"What that one with her breathing all ….. heavy and stuff" Larry questioned

"Yeh"

"I remember buying that record and playing it at home" Joe joined in

"Me too – I was 17 – I got a hard on on that" Larry admitted somewhat proudly

"Every boy out there bought that record" Mick said

"And so did half the girls – if you got one in her bedroom and put that record on you were a dead cert for making out" Joe winked

"My mam banned me from getting it"

"But she couldn't bann you from listening to it"

"So is it real hot?" asked Dempsey

"Well to a teenage lad who had nothing but a packet of paper tissues it was" Mick explained

"You could listen to it in the booth in the record shops" Pat pointed out

"Bit frustrating in there" Larry reminded him

"Well I think I'll give the record a miss thanks guys" Dempsey decided, he wasn't about to disclose his activities as a teenage lad. "It was just the…." He paused because he'd forgotten the phrase "Jay Taym"

"Je t'aime" Pat said

"How do you write it?" questioned Dempsey

Pat spelt it out for him and it made more sense to Dempsey now he could see it written. "Je t'aime" he said confidently

"I – Je, you – te, love – aime" Pat explained

"And Paris is definitely romantic" Dempsey checked

"Definitely" Joe confirmed

"Cheers" Dempsey put £10 note down "– have a pint on me guys" he said as he stood to leave, the debate having moved on as to whether or not you could hear an orgasm and how good, or not, women were at faking it.

Spikings had merely said that 'he would speak to Harry in the office in the morning' before commandeering the same PC to drive him back to central London. Knowing that she had exposed her weakness Makepeace didn't try to defend herself, knowing the content of her report sitting on his desk she grimaced at the bollocking she could anticipate, knowing that Dawson would file an even more condemnatory report she kicked her car several times before getting into it. As she held the steering wheel her knuckles whitened and she let forth a low scream of frustration. What the hell was she to do with this mess? She was a good cop – it was the incompetence of the bloody vice squad that got her into this mess, well that and the stupidity of getting involved with bloody Dempsey – hadn't she known she wouldn't cope with seeing him shot!

With no easy resolution forthcoming she drove off.

When Harry pulled up outside 187 Camberwell Grove, there was a grey Merc sitting in the drive; it brought the first smile of the day to her lips; she parked next to it and walked up the steps.  
The disasters of the day began to fade as she passed his clutter in the hall way. He wasn't asleep on the sofa with the TV on or munching his way through her kitchen then she remembered that her kitchen was quite bare, a matter of regret now that her hunger pangs had been awoken. She ran upstairs.

The sight of the brown wavy hair buried into the pillow, the hand tucked under the pillow and the body mass stretched out to cover a ridiculous amount of the bed triggered a flash back to the morgue. She pulled back the covers and shook him gently but firmly.

"You're home" he smiled dreamily

"You're alive" she couldn't stop herself saying

"Either that or I'm in heaven" he replied opening his eyes a bit further and then seeing her standing there wearing still clothed "aren't you going to get undressed?"

"Hmmm" she agreed but was still rather taken up by the fact that he was definitely alive "You need to move over" she pointed out.

Dempsey shifted to the side and spotted the scrap of paper he had carefully placed on Harry's pillow had fallen down onto the sheet. He picked it up and passed it to her half yawning as he spoke "here I wrote a message for you"

Dempsey was back asleep and missed the grin ride across Harry's face as she read.

Roughly ten minutes later Harry was sitting in bed, sipping tea and studying Dempsey's handwriting; his note simply said 'Je t'aime' She smiled again, put the note by the alarm clock and then checked to see if the alarm was switched on before she slipped under the duvet and wrapped herself around Dempsey. "Mon Amour" she whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're late!" Spikings greeted Dempsey and Makepeace with a growl

"I'm on late this week" Dempsey pointed out

"Well then you shouldn't be here. Goodbye" Spikings addressed Dempsey

"What no thank you Dempsey for catching me that scumbag"

"That's your job Dempsey – you're supposed to do that"

"And chief I never even fired my gun!" Dempsey sounded so pleased with himself

"Is that so?" Spikings said as he wondered what Makepeace had already told Dempsey "Well if you wrote your report up maybe I'll be able to read all about it Lieutenant!"

Spikings turned to Makepeace "I read your report Sergeant and" he paused for dramatic effect "and that of Inspector Dawson; it seems you didn't meet eye to eye!"

"He failed to spot the escape routes…"

"You opened fire in a public thoroughfare when there was no immediate danger to the general public" Spikings launched his attack

"The two main suspects were about to escape" Harry defended

"There was no danger to the general public" Spikings' voice was high pitched and forceful "until that is you took to the street"

"Not to the public just only to the next lot of young girls that those guys bring over and abuse so horrifically" Dempsey stepped in

"Sergeant your gun was not regulation issue" Spikings kept his focus on Makepeace

"As if I could carry a 38 on my person in those clothes" Makepeace muttered

"You do not have the authority to run around the streets of this country firing any weapon that you choose"

"She needed protection" Dempsey yelled

"Go home Lieutenant you already said you're not due in yet" Spikings said with a low, steady demand.

Dempsey didn't move; Spikings stared back. The dual ran in silence

"I asked you to protect her" Dempsey growled

"Lieutenant you're not helping" Spikings replied

"What and so you trusted that idiot Dawson"

"Dempsey!" Spikings turned to his right and picked up a folder "I have a file containing a formal complaint about your behaviour last week that is still open"

"So send me back to America then" Dempsey threatened

"Go!" Spikings demanded and this time Dempsey went; straight through the office and down to his parked car outside. He thumped the roof and waited.

Makepeace shuffled uncomfortably. Spikings picked up her report and waved it in front of Makepeace's face "Those girls are all some fathers' daughter" he observed "let's hope they all get back home safely"

Makepeace was left to wonder if she would ever really grasp how her boss worked, she also speculated about how much Kate had said. At the same time she had to wonder if her display last night was next in the list of rebukes.

"Sir Dempsey…."

"It seems to me Sergeant that rather than you taming our wild and uncontrollable interloper he has taught you just about every trick in his book of cowboys and Indians."

Harry still shuffled her weight from one foot to the other "I would say that I'm a better officer now"

"You mean you disregard the law as much as he does"

"That's not fair Sir my only aim was to uphold the law" she started "I was the only one who stood a chance of catching those two monsters"

"And if someone had been shot?" he demanded

"My aim is not that bad!"

It made Spikings smile; that was entirely not the point – the public were known to run in stupid directions but he was glad to see her feistiness had not got lost.

"I need you to inform me when you are armed"

"It might be easier to tell you when I'm not"

"Which is when?" Spikings smarmed

"When I'm bed" Makepeace suggested considering if she had just pushed things a bit too far

"Your gun should be on you or by you at all times Sergeant" Spikings barked "Now go and tell that bloody cowboy to check our two importers are sorted for a court appearance tomorrow and then take yourselves off somewhere out of my sight for a day!"

"Sir" Makepeace said breathing an inward sigh of relief and turning sharply to go

"Oh by the way I told Dawson that I was about to file two complaints..." Harry stopped to listen as she reached the door "– firstly that his team were in need of training in how to carry out a raid; that incompetent officers were an embarrassment to the MET and secondly that my staff weren't given a full briefing and were consequently removed from the protection of the law."

She smiled but kept her face well out of view of Spikings and quietly shut the door behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

Dempsey and Makepeace sat in the Richmond pub. They had just eaten lunch.

"So the boss wasn't so mad at us then" Dempsey observed

"What makes you say that?"

"Well he gave us the day off"

"I rather got the impression that was because he didn't want to see us"

"Same thing"

"No it isn't Dempsey. What if he… what if he puts us on different cases again" Although true that Harry had agreed to do the vice job the whole of her drive home from the morgue had been taken up with her thoughts about someday repeating that experience for real and her resolution that to always work along side Dempsey was the only solution.

"He won't -we're his best team Harry" Dempsey simply refused to address any fears that loomed about him and Harry working together; buried in the sand they remained out of sight. He knew Spikings and O'Grady had been talking, hopefully Harry didn't.

Harry carried her third glass of wine and Dempsey his beer through to the snug and they found a more comfortable sofa to sit on. The log fire burned. Outside the trees bore witness to the wind. Makepeace shivered as they sat down.

"Well we've not got that spring sunshine today that we had at the seaside"

"March winds" Harry explained although it meant nothing to Dempsey

Dempsey was still back on the pier "I never knew you could speak French"

"I went to finishing school" that was another explanation that wasn't

"Which is what?" Dempsey was forced to ask

"Where they teach one how to be a lady" Dempsey struggled again – he knew she was a lady but he decided to cut the crap and go for gold

"I like the French accent – I think it's even sexier than your American one"

"Three summers of speaking nothing but French" Harry reflected

"How about you teach me eh?" he suggested hopefully

"You murder the English language are you sure you're ready for a second."

"Tell me" he said as he tapped her nose "What's this?"

"le nez"

"l neigh" he repeated "and hair?" he asked as his fingers started to run through her hair

"les cheveux"

"L shh-v - " he stalled

"Cheveux" she repeated

"And mouth?" he asked as he brought his over hers

"La bouche" she murmured savouring his kiss until she sat back with a jump "Dempsey stop it!"

"Come on" he said "It was just a kiss"

"I know" she looked serious "but this is London, where there's no you and me"

"F* this" Dempsey sat back, his arm pulled away from her "You and me Harry, we're 'us' I can't live my life not allowed to do this or that. The low life of London couldn't care about us so why should Spikings tell us what we can and can't do!"

"To be fair it's not Spikings – he did encourage us to get together"

"And he's the one who said we can't be seen together" Dempsey sulked

"Well I think it has more to do with upstairs and them giving you permission to work here" Harry postulated

The thought of not getting that permission, of the struggle he was having to get the paperwork through sent an icy shiver through Dempsey and he reached back out to pull Harry into his embrace, he needed to hold her. His fingers ran through her hair again "l shh-v-al" he asked

She laughed "no – le cheval is a horse, les cheveux is hair"

"Oh" he said then asked "l or lay – is there a difference?"

"le" she explained as she lent back into him and enjoyed the sensation of him stroking her hair "is masculine singular, les is plural and la is feminine"

"What? What does l mean – I guessed it was 'a'"

"It means the, but you use a different version depending on whether the article is male or female or plural"

Dempsey sat back upright for the second time and looked straight into her eyes trying to gauge how serious she was, he took it as very "You're telling me that they have three words for 'the'" he questioned incredulously

"And 'a'" she smiled in response. Her dancing eyes and perfect smile and beautiful face dazzled him and he just felt a joy rising within as he looked at her.

"L neigh" he said as he touched her nose "lay shev-o" he repeated as his hand held her head again, he suddenly wanted to know why it was plural but decided it would ruin the moment if he asked and "la boushe" he said as he kissed her again.

"Je t'aime" she murmured as she kissed him back.

"Drink up folks" the bar man announced "we've hit closing time"

"Let's take a walk down by the river" Harry suggested as they both did their coats up. She took Dempsey's hand and wrapped hers in it then placed them both in the huge pocket in the side of his coat.

"Something will work out – won't it?" Harry asked

"Sure" Dempsey replied trying to convey more conviction than he felt.

They walked in a mixed silence, enjoying being together but uncertain about how they could continue. "Look there's a squirrel"

"Where" asked Harry as she scanned the ground level

"Up in the oak tree"

Dempsey smiled as he watched it run along a branch

"un écureuil" Harry informed him

"un what?"

"A squirrel is un écureuil"

"Hmm" Dempsey wasn't so sure he could say that, he noticed it leap across a branch and out of sight "That's the trouble with squirrels they never stop still"

"Dempsey" Harry asked nervously "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Am I?" Dempsey asked having no idea what she was talking about

"I'm asking you"

"I just said that squirrels never seem to stop still"

"I just was worried that it might be an allegory"

"For what?"

"For you; that you might be trying to say that you don't stay long in one place"

"Harry I meant what I said the other day, it took us long enough to find each other, I'm not about to start letting go" She smiled - it had been two weeks after the conversation last summer that Harry had randomly woken in the middle of the night hearing Dempsey say 'a duck and a squirrel'; she had wondered ever since if she had read far too much into five words.

Dempsey looked back into the trees to hide the fear that ran though his eyes wondering if the squirrel leaping was a portent of him returning to New York.

"What's a duck?" he asked when his eyes returned lower to survey the path they were walking down

"Un canard" she informed him and scanning the river she spotted some swans "and a swan is called un cygne"

Dempsey surveyed the scene "is un male or female?" he asked

"Male"

"Even if the duck is female"

"Oui" Harry smiled "Which means yes" she added

Dempsey looked from the duck, to the swans to Harry "Well sweetheart I'd guess that sometimes you're rather like that signay" Harry looked at the swans swimming along and waited to see how insightful Dempsey was "You look downright fantastic but under the surface there's a lot of paddling"

'Panicking' Harry thought would be the correct word. Dempsey meantime had moved on in his deliberations "The Squirrel and Duck" he mooted or the "The Swan and Squirrel?"

"I beg you pardon?" Harry stopped to ask

"What do you think would make the best pub name?"

As Harry furrowed her brow and grinned at the same time, Dempsey could always bring a smile to her face. Dempsey grabbed her by her waist and brought her round to face him. "Screw work and screw rules; let's enjoy a proper date. Harry I propose…" he saw something flit across her eyes – was it shock, fear or pleasure? It was too brief to be sure because he had continued talking as he studied her beauty "… that I take you to a West End show to be followed by dinner and then followed by…" he grinned "dessert" He kissed her cheek "Let's take a few risks 'cos I sure don't want to live a life of regrets; the music's in me and I don't want to die without letting it out"

"That still leaves us few hours" Harry pointed out

"Well what do you suggest Princess?"

"Hampton Court's not far from here, it has a famous maze – we could get lost in that" she grinned "Lovers used to meet in there"

"Lead on Macbeth" Dempsey smirked

"Actually it was 'Lay on McDuff'" Harry couldn't help correcting him

"Forget it" Dempsey said pulling Harry back "I can't wait until we're lost in some maze" He wrapped both arms around her waist and tipped his head to kiss her

She enjoyed his attentions and returned her own, but the wind blowing across the open park was still chilling and soon she stepped back and pointed out that 'at least inside the maze they would be out of the wind'.

They pulled into the car park "Wow this place is big! Bigger than your castle"

"My place is my father's not mine, and I keep telling you it's not a castle"

"Well it will be yours one day"

"I don't want it; I don't want the horrendous responsibility of looking after it and all the staff and tenants. I've told my father a hundred times to give it away to someone else"

"Don't you want to judge the WI and the…" he paused as he thought "…Knights of the Round Table"

She giggled "No just the Round Table – that's what they're called; you're the Knight of the Round Table" the happy memories evoked dislodged her other anxieties for the moment "– seems that Mrs Protheral was correct and you turned into Lancelot" she grinned and whispered "You know I really do love you James"

"I know"

As they walked towards the main building Dempsey's brain was searching all the nooks and crannies trying to remember last summer "Well Guinevere" he beamed, impressed with his recall "Let's go take a look inside – I bet they have four poster beds – maybe we could"

"NOT" she interrupted then she smirked "I'll be the tourist guide and you can be…."

"My usual brash American?" he cut in "or…."

"The really rather waggish gay" she cut back and then smiling said "thank god you're not wearing cowboy boots or a neck tie"

She interlaced her fingers with his "Henry the 8th had 6 wives…"

"He liked women"

"Rather like you then Dempsey"

"No" he twisted her arm gently so he could see her eyes "I like you"

They walked the maze, they wrapped themselves around each other, they kissed and canoodled, they held hands and took great pleasure in being a couple in love. Anyone who passed them simply observed love at its purest and best; the joy of a couple with time to spend together.

Later…

They came up from the tube station running and giggling; Dempsey held the tips of Harry's fingers and pulled her along. Dempsey wove between the commuters and the tourists; Harry bumped into them several times and eventually let go of Dempsey. They rounded the corner into Leicester Square and aimed towards the last minute ticket booth

"Dempsey wait for me"

"Come on Sergeant you can't loose me"

Makepeace avoided another tourist standing looking and trying to workout where they wanted to walk to and spurted towards and caught Dempsey. She jumped at his back and he caught her in a piggyback just as a voice rang out across the square "Dempsey, Makepeace"

Their faces that had been were alight with laughter and alive with joy froze and Makepeace dropped to the ground; both cursed the torture that forbade them any pleasure outside the privacy of home.

They turned in the direction of the voice and saw Dave four people back in the queue for the ticket booth they were aiming at.

Standing with a generous six inches between themselves Dempsey and Makepeace stalled but Dave who hadn't really bothered to think about the scene he had inadvertently witnessed simply announced to Dempsey 'that he was taking his advice' and getting some tickets to take his new girlfriend out.

"What are you going to take her to see?" asked Dempsey

"No idea – whatever is the cheapest ticket they have for sale"

It brought a small smile to both Dempsey and Makepeace

"See if they have any for Lez Miserables" Dempsey hinted as he and Makepeace joined the queue several places behind.

"Is that good?" Dave asked

"Well the girls like it" Dempsey replied without committing himself

"Are you getting tickets?" Dave suddenly asked

"We both had the day off so it's sort of just a good way to finish the night before we have to hit the office" Dempsey offered as an explanation

"Oh so you're not getting them for your girlfriend then?" Dave asked quite innocently

"I didn't know I had one" Dempsey managed to gulp

Dave was puzzled "Well you bought those… well you said…." The glare, the head tilt and the eye pointing towards Makepeace that Dempsey used as signals finally shut Dave up

"No this is just me and Makepeace on a night off" Dempsey smoothed

"Sure" Dave said as if he believed Dempsey implicitly, and to hide his confusion he asked "What are you going to see?"

"Blood Brothers if they have tickets" Harry said

Dempsey looked at her "Or anything else" he suggested

"What's the matter with Blood Brothers?" Makepeace asked

"Nothing" Dempsey faked

"Yes there is!" Makepeace hissed

"We've seen it" he offered

"We've seen Phantom three times"

"I like the story and the music"

"Blood Brothers has good songs"

"Yes but the story's a bit close for comfort" Dempsey argued.

Dave had seen the pair argue so often that it meant nothing to him; he bought his tickets and as he turned to walk off he waved the tickets in the air at Dempsey "The Miserable's" he confirmed

Dempsey and Makepeace both waved back and simultaneously said "anywhere but"


	13. Chapter 13

_There is quite a lot of fast banter between all the guys in the office which I've not attributed words to anyone in particular, hope it works ok_

With his late start and two interviews to do Dave didn't get into the office until nearly 4.00. Dempsey was drumming his fingers and quietly going insane; Spikings had them all working on a gold bullion mystery. Each had been given the files as they had come from major crime and told to read, take apart and reconstruct until they came up with how the hell one, let alone one hundred gold bars had been scattered across London.

Dempsey had read for 15 minutes and then looked at Harry "You got the answer yet?" he asked

"No have you?" Makepeace challenged him knowing full well he hadn't

"Well you've got the brains – I think the rest of us should just go home for the night…" her stare challenged him "and leave you in peace and quiet" Dempsey faked a smile

"I though you had the nose Dempsey" Makepeace threw a mock smile back

"Ah but that only works outside – on the street – you know sergeant when I do the leg work and you do the desk work" Dempsey's eyes worked her face, flicking from her eyes to her lips as he contemplated how sexy she looked when she got angry

It was then that Dave walked in, scanning the office as he pushed the door open he spotted Dempsey now pouring a coffee for himself. Dave called across "Hey you were right mate she loved the miserables"

"Les Misérables " Makepeace corrected under her breath but actually everyone heard.

Dempsey, prompted by the French mouthed "Je t'aime" as he walked with his coffee back towards his desk. Harry's response was to look fierce and furious

"Harry here can speak proper French Dave – she'll give you a lesson" Dempsey offered provoking Harry into a sulk.

Watson and Tony were both laughing "Dave up the West End with a date?"

"Yeh" Dave rose up "You two should try it"

"So what? You're going to beat Dempsey at his own game?"

"I'm learning off a master" Dave defended.

Even Harry looked up to see how Dempsey handled that one – he was sitting perched on the edge of a desk with a grin covering his face. Vanity was tickling his pride – Harry groaned, covered her eyes and buried her head back into the notes; everyone else in the room, near and across the far side, focused on Dave.

"So what's her name?"

"Jennifer – Jenny"

"And where did you meet her?"

"The local pub, by my place"

"Oh what and you were the only guy in the bar?"

"No" Dave was indignant again "I did that looking thing"

"What looking thing?"

"You know when you look a bit too long and when you do the same things…" Watson, Tony and even Chas looked blank and Dave panicked "… You tell them Dempsey" Dave pleaded

"Seems like you're doing a good job" Dempsey grinned with no intention of performing any rescue job but the mood of the room shifted from derision to genuine interest. Dave sensed the change and feeling bolder he started again "Well if you buy her underwear…"

Dempsey shot up, placed his mug firmly on his desk declaring to all that "the boss was on the warpath so everyone had better get on and read the files"

Now it was Harry's turn to smile, she played her pen across her lips and watched with interest.

"Well Harry's the one who comes up with the answers" Watson proposed "so Dave may as well carry on" but Dave was acutely aware that Harry was listening rather than writing, he backed off. The others were having none of it – bored and fed up they were ready for more.

"So you walked around all those bras and things"

"Where did you go?"

"Don't women go to Marks and Spencer – never been in there"

"Nah you go to one of those places"

"What places?"

"Somewhere sexy"

"Yeh like Ann Summers"

"No jumped in Dave "You definitely don't go there – apparently that's the worst place"

"Looked pretty interesting to me"

"Bloody expensive"

"You need to spend a lot" Dave chipped in again "It tells her you think she's special and you're not just after a quick one"

"That's exactly what I'd be after"

"So Dave" Watson asked with a rare grin across his face "have you bought your lady lingerie?"

"Yes" Dave boasted, with his back to Makepeace he had been able to forget her again.

"So where would you recommend for shopping?"

"Well Dempsey took me to Bond Street "

Makepeace shot a glare across to Dempsey, who shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to hide his own fear. The fierceness of Harry's stare worried him; he decided that another walk to the coffee machine may be helpful.

Meantime the guys were still throwing comments out, talking over and across each other.

"So how did you know what size?"

"did you go up to the assistant and ask if you squeeze hers and then…"

"No way – not in a real shop"

"Jimmy Bartholomew did once"

"He was well pissed"

"What happened?"

"He got kneed in the balls and thrown out"

"The size was easy" Dave piped up across the banter

"Don't tell me Dempsey met her and sized her up for you" Dempsey grinned; he thought he could probably do that quite well actually. As his eyes caught Harry's murderous look he wiped the smile off his face and decided that his presence was possibly not such a good idea, he sipped the strong black coffee and started to slide to his right and towards the back door of the office. Out of sight and standing in the doorway ready to fake arrival or departure he waited to check Dave's answer "You look at the size tag in one of hers" Dave announced

"That's down right boring"

"Not if you've just taken it off"

"Well I'm not looking at any tag at that point"

Dempsey knew he needed to be gone, the guys would look to him for a comment he knew and that would be fatal but he hung on to the doorknob as he tarried to listen.

"So what size is she?"

"36D" Dave declared quite proudly

"Hey big!"

"Yeh" Dave grinned

The questions all fired off at once

"Did she approve?"

"How much?"

"What were they like?"

"Black, lacy; 20 quid; Yeh"

"Oooh"

"Ouch"

Dave was feeling quite the star again "Not as much as Dempsey paid" he announced

All of a sudden the air was electric as people surfed the crowd with their eyes looking for Dempsey but he wasn't there; then the questions started to pour forth

"Who'd he buy for?"

"How much did he spend?"

"What did he buy?"

"For his girlfriend; like £50; he went on about some designer…"

"Oh I bet Dempsey's girl would be big – like double D"

"Or F"

"Well he can pull anyone he wants"

"Oh no" Dave cut in with a knowing smile "34B"

"Really!"

"Really" Dave confirmed with pride

"So were they red?"

"I bet they came with a thong thing"

"Dempsey's girlfriend doesn't like those" Dave suddenly became the fount of all knowledge "He got these little lacy shorts that were white …" Dave's face flushed – a mixture of embarrassment and excitement as he continued to relate the expedition "and the bra was silk with the same lace and little tiny pearls and he said about how her curves would sit…" he paused as he tried to recall Dempsey's words but they wouldn't come, he was beginning to seriously colour up now but before he threw in the towel he added "… oh stuff about him finding her body irresistible"

Out of sight Dempsey cringed and winced as he screwed his face up in pain – he knew just how much trouble he was in.

Makepeace coughed.

The ripple of silence rolled across the room.


	14. Chapter 14

As the silence fell Dempsey slipped away from the door and down the corridor.

Makepeace stood, she dropped the file with a forceful thud onto her desk and announced that "The answer has to do with the river and raids on Securicor vans around the time Lieutenant Dempsey arrived; obviously someone missed some of the gold" then saying nothing else, she simply walked out of the office.

The noise had riled Spikings sitting in his office but it was the silence that drew him out. He opened his door and scanned the room trying to understand.

It was Chas who spoke "Harry thinks it has to do with the bullion robberies a few years ago when they loaded that van onto the boat"

"Humph" Spikings grumped "that makes some sense." He now specifically looked for Dempsey and Makepeace "pray tell me where is Sergeant Makepeace?"

No one actually knew, they suspected she'd gone home but didn't dare say anything "And Lieutenant Dempsey?" he asked with a searing sarcasm.

"It seems we've got a good handle on the case now Sir – shall we start work on it tomorrow?" suggested Chas. Spikings rubbed his head and smiled "I think now would be good gentlemen – now that you have all finished whatever it was you were doing – you have…" he looked at his watch "an hour to get this investigation moving"

"And Harry?" Tony asked by mistake, cringing at his own error as the words were leaving his mouth.

"I'm interested in results detective, now could you please detect" Spikings walked away.

Sergeant Makepeace was livid, she marched down the corridor to anywhere which just so happened to be in the direction of the locker rooms. As she did so Dempsey was sticking his head around the door to see if his exit was clear; he heard the clipping sound of a woman's forceful march. Harry spotted the door closing as she strode round the corner and she flew through into the locker room.

Dempsey was mesmerised by her anger, it was even worse than he had imagined.

She yelled as she stripped, yanking off her jumper she complained bitterly that 'Dave had stood and described to every man in that room the underwear she was wearing!' 'Lace over the silk with little white pearls' she quoted resentfully at the same time as she removed the said bra which she flung at Dempsey as she seethed 'that she couldn't believe his audacity of buying her stuff in the presence of Dave.'

Dempsey couldn't help smiling at the view which inevitably enraged her even more; as he watched her pull her trousers off he edged towards the door. Not removing her shoes made the process more difficult and her frustration was expressed with several loud groans, cries and huffs. Dempsey's eyes moved from her breasts, down her leg and back to her naked top half. Whilst she removed her left shoe before trying to take that leg out of her trouser Makepeace spotted Dempsey move toward the door.

As she screeched 'that everyone had been informed that she didn't like a thong' Dempsey caught the white lace French knickers she had lobbed at him in his hand. He looked in amazement at her standing naked in front of him and took in the view as long as he dared.

"No one knew you were wearing them" he very calmly pointed out

"34B" she shrieked "the whole bloody office knows"

"They have no idea that it is you" he reiterated quite calmly still

"Just bloody go Dempsey – that is what you were about to do isn't it" she fumed

"Actually I thought I'd stand guard at the door Princess" Dempsey tilted his head just ever so slightly and raised his brow

"Princess!" she placed her hands on her hips in indignation

Dempsey laughed out loud "Harry anyone could walk in here right now and then trust me every person in the MET would hear about you standing stark naked in the men's locker room!" He slipped the bolt to lock the door, walked the few paces towards her "My god Harry your sure know how to tempt a man" he said in a low soft tone. She watched his progress unable to decide on a response.

Dempsey held her face and kissed her deeply.

The feel of his lips against hers, the feel of his hands as they slid all over her naked skin was too much for Harry, her anger had morphed into acute arousal, good god she realised that she wanted him now, right now; she briefly considered waiting until they got home but her willpower had gone completely. As she released the buckle of his belt Harry thought to check "You did lock the bloody door didn't you?"

He answered in the affirmative but most of the sound was lost within her mouth as his tongue played against hers.

His hands played over her bottom and his fingers ran up her bare back tracing her spine and then as one hand buried into her hair the other felt the curve of her waist and hips as it traced back down the naked lines of her body. Harry thrilled as she felt his skin against hers and then their intimacy was fulfilled. Such arousal peaked quickly and they looked around, breathless and somewhat amazed at their own actions

"I know we said we'd take a few risks but this was…" Harry blushed as she contemplated what they had just done

"Down right thrilling" Dempsey finished her sentence "– next time we'll try the showers"

"Next time! Dempsey there won't be a next time" she protested vehemently

"Come on Harry – you know there will" He smiled as she looked away knowing she couldn't look him in the eye and say no.

"Bloody hell Dempsey Spikings will kill us"

"He'll never know"

"But I will – every time I walk past that door I'll…." She was interrupted by Dempsey passing her her underwear "Put it on" he suggested as he too started to dress "you look fantastic in it"

He stopped to watch her, the lacy shorts were accentuating her legs and her belly; she turned to look for the bra.

"Hmmm" Dempsey mused as his eyes flitted across her body, "topless in the south of France"

"Only on the beach a long time ago" Harry defended and Dempsey opened his eyes wide – he'd never imagined that!

As they finished dressing Dempsey pulled Harry back into him, he cupped her face and kissed her gently and tenderly

"You told Dave that I was irresistible" Harry whispered but she was no longer angry

"You are" Dempsey murmured kissing her neck and moving around to catch her earlobe "didn't we just prove that?"

Makepeace returned his kiss and then pulled back "I solved the crime" she announced with another of her fantastic smiles

"You see I said you were the brains" Dempsey kissed her cheek

Harry slid the bolt back but Dempsey took the door handle "let me check" he whispered "this is the men's room".

With Spikings having pinned everyone down they escaped without problem; what made Spikings suspicious was Dempsey returning to the office with files and Makepeace blushing every time he glanced in her direction.

'Ignorance is bliss' he decided and packed everyone off home ready to start on the old files in the morning.


End file.
